The advent of cannabis legalization across a growing number of states within the US has led to an estimated 16% of American adults reporting current cannabis use, a proportion which continues to slowly but consistently increase.  As consumption rates climb, the impacts of cannabis use on various health and lifestyle aspects of American adults remain to be understudied despite the great demand for research.  A reliable predictor of general health in adults of all ages is that of exercise frequency.  This study investigates the relationship between exercise and cannabis consumption in American adults, specifically those falling in the age range of 24 to 45 years old.   

The study is based around an analysis of data from a decades-long, longitudinal, national health survey called the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).  Beginning in 1945, the survey consists of health data related to over 20,000 adolescents living in the United States and follows their progression into adulthood.  Data points include information related to tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and other recreational substance consumption, as well information related to lifestyle habits like exercise regimens, etc.  Add Health’s data is retrieved in “Waves” indicating the specific age range of the participants at the time of data retrieval.  This study used Waves IV (collected in 2016) and V (collected in 2018), corresponding to ages 24-34, and 34-45, respectively, for the longitudinal cohort.  Using these two waves of the dataset, this research team analyzed the cohort responses to exercise frequency, cannabis use, tobacco use, alcohol use, and other demographic variables using logistic regressions, binomial regressions, and effects modeling (both fixed and random). 

Results of the data analysis found that, overall, there was no indication that cannabis use resulted in a decrease in exercise frequency among young and middle-aged adults.  The fixed effects modeling results found no association between cannabis use and exercise.    Using random effects modeling, associations were found between cannabis use and increased exercise frequency, but the researchers noted this association needed further investigation, though it contained a compelling, counterintuitive finding. 

Takeaway: as the research concerning cannabis use among adults in the United States continues to grow, more information is being elucidated concerning the behavior’s effects on health and wellness.  This particular study found that cannabis use does not seem to damper the exercise frequency of adults and may even display a positive association between the two activities.

French MT, Mortensen K, Kovalski MA. The relationships between marijuana use and exercise among young and middle-aged adults. Preventive Medicine. Published online March 9, 2021:106518. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106518